Stretched Boeing 787 Dreamliner certified

AUBREY COHE, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

By AUBREY COHEN, SEATTLEPI.COM STAFF

Published 10:16 am, Monday, June 16, 2014

Boeing rolls out the first 787-9 for Air New Zealand, the launch customer for the variant. It is the first airplane with the black version of Air New Zealand's new livery.
Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Airchive.com

Boeing rolls out the first 787-9 for Air New Zealand, the launch...

Boeing rolls out the first 787-9 for Air New Zealand, the launch customer for the variant. It is the first airplane with the black version of Air New Zealand's new livery. Click ahead to look back through 787-9 milestones.
Photo: Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren/Airchive.com

Boeing rolls out the first 787-9 for Air New Zealand, the launch...

The first 787-9 is shown in final body join in June 2013 in Boeing's Everett plant.
Photo: Gail Hanusa, The Boeing Co.

The first 787-9 is shown in final body join in June 2013 in...

The first 787-9 is shown in final body join in June 2013 in Boeing's Everett plant.
Photo: The Boeing Co.

The first 787-9 is shown in final body join in June 2013 in...

The first Boeing 787-9 is towed out of the factory in preparation for first flight on July 17, 2013.
Photo: JEREMY DWYER-LINDGREN, SEATTLEPI.COM

The first Boeing 787-9 is towed out of the factory in preparation...

The first Boeing 787-9 is towed out of the factory in preparation for first flight on July 17, 2013.
Photo: JEREMY DWYER-LINDGREN, SEATTLEPI.COM

The first Boeing 787-9 is towed out of the factory in preparation...

The first Boeing 787-9 is towed out of the factory in preparation for first flight on July 17, 2013.
Photo: JEREMY DWYER-LINDGREN, SEATTLEPI.COM

The first Boeing 787-9 is towed out of the factory in preparation...

The first Boeing 787-9 is towed out of the factory in preparation for first flight on July 17, 2013.
Photo: JEREMY DWYER-LINDGREN, SEATTLEPI.COM

The first Boeing 787-9 is towed out of the factory in preparation...

The first Boeing 787-9 rolls past employees and guests before taking off on its first flight on Sept. 17, 2013, at Paine Field in Everett, Wash.
Photo: AP

The first Boeing 787-9 rolls past employees and guests before...

The first Boeing 787-9 starts to take off on its first flight on Sept. 17, 2013, at Paine Field in Everett, Wash.
Photo: AP

The first Boeing 787-9 starts to take off on its first flight on...

The first Boeing 787-9 takes off on its first flight on Sept. 17, 2013, at Paine Field in Everett, Wash.
Photo: AP

The first Boeing 787-9 takes off on its first flight on Sept. 17,...

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner lands after its first flight September 17, 2013 at Boeing Field in Seattle.
Photo: Stephen Brashear, Getty Images

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner lands after its first flight...

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner taxis after its first flight September 17, 2013 at Boeing Field in Seattle.
Photo: Stephen Brashear, Getty Images

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner taxis after its first flight...

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner taxis after its first flight September 17, 2013 at Boeing Field in Seattle.
Photo: Stephen Brashear, Getty Images

The first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner taxis after its first flight...

The tail of the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is pictured after the plane concluded its first flight September 17, 2013 at Boeing Field in Seattle.
Photo: Stephen Brashear, Getty Images

The tail of the first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner is pictured after the...

U.S. and European regulators have certified a stretched version of Boeing's composite 787 Dreamliner, Boeing announced Monday.

The approvals by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency clear the way for the 787-9 to enter commercial service. The company said it is "in the final stages" of preparing for the first delivery to 787-9 launch customer Air New Zealand.

"Certification is the culmination of years of hard work and a rigorous flight-test program that started with the 787-9's first flight last September," Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner said in a news release. "With this validation that the airplane is ready for commercial operations, Boeing along with our airline and leasing customers now look forward to introducing the newest member of the Dreamliner family to passengers around the world."